In the viscous teeth of another wave in the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK government and NHS has launched an integrated January 2021 ‘Better Health’ campaign.
The initiative follows on from recent research which found seven in 10 Brits want to make healthier lifestyle changes due to coronavirus, so to support and encourage healthier lifestyle changes Public Health England and the NHS has launched a new ‘Better Health’ campaign for the New Year.
With the objective of not only encourage, but also supporting the nation to work towards a healthier lifestyle – from losing weight, being more active, mental wellbeing, reducing drinking and quitting smoking – the campaign targets all UK adults over 18 with an additional focus on those aged 40 to 60 (and on groups who are most affected, including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and those with long-term health conditions).
The campaign, launched on 3 January with a spearhead commercial, includes new wide scale national TV burst, plus radio and social advertising.
As well as the ad campaign, Public Health England has released a film (created by PR agency Frueds) featuring households across the country discussing their health journey in 2020 and their motivations for the 2021.
The campaign also provides support through an array of NHS advice, tips, tools, a web hub at or visit nhs.uk/betterhealth and mobile apps (including the updated NHS 12 Week Weight Loss app).
The ‘Better Health’ initiative also sees partnerships with a number of weight management and physical activity partners who are providing both free and exclusive discounted offers.
An recent England-wide survey of over 5,000 adults found that 80% of adults have made the active decision to make changes to their lifestyle in 2021, with 68% saying that they are motivated to make healthier lifestyle changes due to coronavirus.
Compared to last year, 43% feel more motivated to make changes to their life in January with 43% of smokers planning to make a quit attempt in 2021 and 45% of drinkers who increased their alcohol intake during the second lockdown intending to reduce their alcohol intake this year.
Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist at Public Health England said: “The past year has been immensely challenging and being stuck at home much more this year, understandably, has seen some unhealthy habits creeping up on us all. But our survey shows the vast majority of us want to do something positive this year to improve our health and now is a good time for a reset, whether it be eating more healthily, being a healthier weight, getting more active, stopping smoking or doing more to look after our mental health. All these are changes that will help us feel better about ourselves – just search ‘NHS Better Health’ for our free tools and advice.”
Public Health Minister Jo Churchill, said: “There is no doubt 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted particularly the impact obesity can have on some people’s health and health outcomes.
“We know many people want to make changes for a healthier lifestyle and we want to help them. So the Better Health campaign provides a range of tools, like ‘Couch to 5K’, to support people in their choices. This, together with the government’s world-leading obesity strategy, will help motivate and support everyone to take up healthier routines in 2021.”
Dr Dawn Harper, who is supporting the campaign, comments: “The impact that COVID-19 has had on our physical health and mental wellbeing is huge. We saw households across England revert to unhealthy eating habits and reducing the amount of exercise they undertook. However, 2020 has also caused us to feel more motivated to make lasting changes in the new year.
“2021 is a time to start afresh, and kickstarting a health plan can be daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone. Resources like the Better Health website and apps can be a huge help, no matter what changes you’re looking to make or what stage you are”.
Links:
NHS Better Health
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/
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